The perfect bedtime revealed - but are YOU ever tucked up in time?

Sleep is one of life's greatest pleasures, but between work, the kids, the other half and the stresses of everyday life, many of us still don't feel like we get enough hours of shut eye - leaving us feeling grumpy, tired and totally not ready to take on the day.

If you're one of the millions of adults struggling to fit in a full night under the duvet, you might want to try changing the time you go to bed - because according to sleep expert Shawn Stevenson, adults should be in bed way before midnight.

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In fact, according to Shawn, the perfect bedtime is 10pm - giving you an aspirational eight hours of rest before you get up at 6am.

Speaking in an interview with Yahoo, Shawn explains that whilst every person's body and schedule is different, sleep can be affected by the sun's patterns - so resting and rising with the sun puts us in touch with our natural circadian rhythms, and can lead to a much better night's sleep.

If you met Shawn's suggestions with a sigh of 'if only!', he did also offer some helpful suggestions that can help you to get as close as possible to the perfect schedule:

• Stop looking at your phones, tablets and other screens at least two hours before you try to sleep
• Exercise during the day - even if it's just a 10-minute burst when you wake
• Avoid caffiene, sugar and dairy in the last half of the day
• It's also worth making sure your mattress is right for you, plus if it's older than seven years it could be losing its effectiveness

These small changes will improve the quality of sleep, even if you don't manage to crawl under the covers at 10pm sharp!